


Hero

by thatmasquedgirl



Series: Little Talks [17]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Action, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Drama, Gen, One Shot, POV Outsider, POV Thea Queen, Past Oliver Queen/Helena Bertinelli, Pre Episode: s02e12 Tremors, Sibling drama, Thea meets the Arrow, implied olicity, pre-2.12 Tremors, psycho Helena is psycho
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-18
Updated: 2014-03-18
Packaged: 2018-01-16 05:42:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1334176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatmasquedgirl/pseuds/thatmasquedgirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt:  "Don't touch me."<br/>It's funny how the most heroic actions are the simplest.</p><p>Direct sequel to "Deceptive."<br/>Reading in the order of "The Way We Talk" series is highly recommended.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hero

**Author's Note:**

> Augh, this one-shot. First of all, it's my longest, at over 1600 words, so that's good at least. Secondly, it's probably my favorite in the series. :) Finally, it's in Thea's point-of-view (again), and I don't know why this keeps happening to me. :) Then, it's supposed to be based on the prompt "Who do you think you are?" and then it decides to be "Don't touch me." I don't know why this one has been so temperamental, but I think I managed to make it work. :P Anyway, I'll let you see what you think. :)

Thea pounds her fists against the steel wall repeatedly, yelling in frustration all the while.  She can't believe there's a rusted chain around her ankle, and she's taking her anger out against the only thing she can find.  Not that she thinks it will help her escape or anything—but it  _would_  be a nice bonus if she could.  Mostly, though, she wants to give Helena Bertinelli a migraine for kidnapping her; it would serve her right.

Oliver wasn't kidding when he said she had a few screws loose, and that was why they stopped dating.  She keeps going on about getting revenge on the Vigilante, or some such nonsense, for trying to kill her.  Thea isn't quite sure how kidnapping  _her_  fits into Helena's plan of revenge, but, hey, she isn't going to argue with the  _psycho chick_  holding the crossbow.  It's a thing she likes to call common sense.

As if on command, though, the Vigilante makes his presence known.  She can't exactly see him through the metal door separating her from Helena, but she can hear his synthesized voice.  "Let her go," he demands of Helena.  "She has nothing to do with this.  It's hard to tell with the synthesizer, but it sounds almost as if he's angry— _furious_ , actually.

Helena doesn't seem too afraid as she laughs haughtily at him.  "Oh, you haven't changed  _one_  bit," she says to him, equal parts taunting and scathing.  It surprises Thea that they actually seem to know one another, though.  "I  _knew_  you'd come," she tells him, sounding almost bored.  "Maybe I should have picked someone more important to you, though; Thea's been a bit... well,  _boring_.  Your blonde girlfriend was fun to play with last time," she says, and Thea suddenly understands how Felicity knew Helena's name.  They must have had an altercation in the past—one that didn't exactly end well.  Helena thinks about that for a moment before saying, "Well, there's always next time."

"No, there's not," the Vigilante respectfully disagrees, and the thought is punctuated by the sound of two arrows being released almost as one.  "This is  _my_  city," he says then, "and I will  _not_  let you wreak havoc in it."  She's not sure if the silence is good or bad, nor what it means for Helena.  A pause before he adds, quieter this time and further away from the metal door.  "The Queen family is protected—make that clear to your friends in prison."  Thea isn't quite sure  _why_  that is, but she can hazard a guess.

The door slides open then, and the Starling city Vigilante stands before her, in all his green-hooded glory.  He's taller and more muscular than she expects him to be in person, all sharp angles and  _way_  too much leather for her tastes.  (Seriously, the guy needs a good designer.)  He's careful about the way he approaches her, moving slowly and gripping the bow very loosely in his hand.  Finally, he's close enough he can crouch before her, so patient and steady, until she can make out the stubble on the line of his jaw and the black mask over his eyes.

"Are you all right?" he asks, his voice quieter than she could have ever imagined possible, even through the synthesizer.

"Sure, peachy," Thea replies dryly, rolling her eyes.  "I've been kidnapped by one psychopath, only to be rescued by another.  Why  _wouldn't_  I be all right?"

It could be the drugs making her see things, but she  _thinks_  she can see the corners of his mouth lift ever so slightly.  He leans down abruptly, examining the metal shackle around her ankle carefully, going out of his way to avoid touching her.  It's rusted shut, but somehow he manages to break the hinge wide open, allowing her to pull herself free.

He rises again, turning away from her while saying, "I need an exit strategy.   _Now_."

Now he's just being ridiculous.  "Do I  _look_  like I'm walking around with blueprints in my head?" she replies with a huff.  Pardon her for being in a bad mood, but, after all, she  _was_  just kidnapped by her brother's psycho ex.  If the Vigilante is looking for a grateful damsel in distress, he just needs to look elsewhere—because she's not interested.

The Vigilante turns back toward her, almost as if she's an afterthought.  "I wasn't talking to you," he snaps sharply.  Then, he continues, as she notices the comm at his ear for the first time, "As fast as possible.  ... _Please_."  Thea can't help but notice that he's a whole lot nicer to whoever-it-is than he is to  _her_.

She's done enough research to hazard a guess.  "Is that Felicity you're talking to?" she asks casually, and the way his head snaps up in response affirms her suspicions.  "I thought so."  She thinks on the situation for a moment before saying, "I've heard her talk about you, you know, and I hear the way you talk to her.  Just so we're clear?  I'm grateful and everything, but you're nowhere  _near_  good enough for her."

"I know," he says abruptly, but Thea's not sure if he's talking to her or Felicity.  But the quality of his voice suggests he's speaking to the former.

She points a finger at him as she continues on with her little rant.  "And, besides, my brother has a thing for her—even though he doesn't want to admit it—so you  _better_  make sure she stays in one piece."

"Are you done giving out relationship advice?" he snaps suddenly at her.  "We need to go.  Can you walk?"  His tone indicates that if she can't, he won't hesitate a moment to carry her out of the building.

Thea stands, despite being a little wobbly on her feet.  She is not so full of dubious drugs that she won't walk out of this building of her own free will.  And, besides, if this guy were to carry her, he'd probably drop her just for spite, since he's so charming and all.

In an instant, he's making a brisk walk toward the exit, and she can't really compete, what with his long strides and her heels, so she's practically running to keep up with him.  The exertion wears on her quickly, and she makes it through about two corridors before her vision goes spotty and her head feels like she's spinning.  She leans against the wall, trying desperately not to pass out because she's sure that Prince Charming won't hesitate to leave her with Helena again.

She realizes she's misjudged him, though, because he turns back to her and demands, "What's wrong?"  His voice fades in and out, but, somehow, Thea doesn't think that's him.

"I don't know," she says honestly.  "She gave me...  _something_.  It makes me all woozy, and I can see some wicked awesome lights, too.  Makes me feel like I'm on Vertigo again."  She opens her eyes to see two Vigilantes staring back at her, both equally tense at the mention of Vertigo.  She groans.  "Oh, wow.  Now I've got double vision.   _Awesome_."

He's surprisingly gentle as he reaches out to her, taking her arm.  Instantly, she pulls away, not sure she should trust a  _killer_ , even if he is her savior today.  " _Don't_  touch me," she snarls, surprised by the animosity in her own voice, and how strangled it sounds.

He backs away instantly, holding his hands in front of him.  "Thea," he says quietly, and there's something familiar in the way he says her name, "I'm not going to hurt you."

From the tilt of his head and the better lighting, she can make out the mask and his partially obscured eyes.  When she sees them, she's not afraid of him anymore; he as gentle eyes, she thinks. But that could be the drugs talking, and Helena must know a good drug guy, because they're  _awesome_.  But his voice is layered in sincerity.  Then she remembers what he said to Helena, about protecting the Queen family, and the trust Felicity seems to place in him.

If he's good enough for her, he's good enough for Thea.  Felicity can spot good men a mile away; after all, she did give Oliver the benefit of the doubt.  "I'm sorry," she says quietly to him, after a long moment.  She shakes her head in disgust with herself, even though it makes her head swim.  "I know better.  It's just... it's the drugs, it's the day, it's..."

He doesn't let her ramble on the way she's willing to, probably a side-effect of spending so much time with Felicity.  "Hey," he says quietly.  "I'll get you home, and Helena will never bother you again."  The voice holds a bit of a promise, allays some fears she didn't know she had.  "You're safe now.  I promise.  But we need to leave— _now_."

She laughs, ignoring the way it makes her feel nauseous.  "Wow, the heroic thing isn't just an act for you, is it?  Do you even  _know_  how cheesy you sound?"

He holds a gloved hand out to her this time, and she hesitates, but does take the offer.  "Shut up, Speedy," he says, the nickname sounding odd in his voice.  She can only assume he learned the nickname from Felicity, but she does admit it sounds a  _little_  familiar.  Wow, those drugs are working overtime.  He pulls her through the series of corridors, slower this time, catching her every time she wobbles.

When they finally see moonlight, she looks up at him and says the closest thing she'll give him to a display of gratitude:  "I'm not kidding, you know.  You are really heroic.  But I don't think you know that yet."


End file.
